My children are fourteen and twelve-and-a-half.I adore them.They drive me crazy.They can say the kindest things to each other, out of the blue.They can fight like cats and dogs moments later.I love them so much it hurts.And they are mine.

I was listening to a sermon by Bill Hybels and he talked about parenting with love and limits. This challenged me to come up with a mission statement for my parenting, along with some practical ways to live it out.

So here’s my parenting mission statement: to love Sara and Jack lavishly; to provide appropriate limits for them; to paint a vision for their future.

How will I do this? Well, with lots and lots of prayer and Holy Spirit help, first of all. But here are some actions I can take.

Love:
Daily telling them I love them, what I think of them, what I see in them.
Daily hugs, kisses, and appropriate touches.
Daily prayer for and with them.
Throughout the week: notes, dates, gifts, watching movies, playing games, doing things together they want to do (even if I don’t).
Read the Bible, listen to Bible on CD, or read a devotional at least once a week, if not more often.
Sit down to dinner together at least three times a week.

Limits:
Give them chores, and make sure they actually do them.
Enforce our family/household rules.
Help them keep their commitments.
Help them choose their friends wisely.
Help them make the best choices.
Discipline for disrespect, breaking rules, laziness.

Vision:
Love God with your whole being.
Find out what He wants for your life and do it joyfully.

I only have a few more years to pour into them. I want to send them out in this big, crazy world with the best foundation that I can. They may roll their eyes when they see my mission statement up on their bulletin boards today, but you know what? I bet they’ll know I love them.

 

 

If this post helped you, “Moving On as a Christian Single Mom” is for you, found here.